The literary work of Howard Phillips Lovecraft is dark and macabre. It casts a long shadow in American Literature, influencing such writers as Rod Serling, Steven King, Bob Howard, Robert Bloch, and many others. In his stories he wove a tapestry of mad alien gods and unspeakable horrors and the insignificance of man. And of a mountainous evil that sleeps in the ocean, worshipped by mad cults and known only as … Cthulhu.

In this episode

Robert M. Price, a noted Lovecraft scholar, discusses:[*]The life of H.P. Lovecraft[*]The history of the Cthulhu Mythos[*]Lovecraft’s philosophy, religious beliefs and racism[*]The cultural impact of Lovecraft’s work

We then interview biologist PZ Myers about Cthulhu’s biological inspiration, discussing the weird alien biology and physiology of cephalopods.

Durnett wrote:Help! Robert Price was going too fast! Can you post a bibliography of the influences and contemporaries of Lovecraft? I know Poe, but I'm not familiar with the other authors that were mentioned.

I wanted to say I really enjoyed the last two episodes, and that this one in particular has me interested in finally reading Lovecraft. I've actually never read any of it, but have heard a lot about it since it influences so much other work.

An anecdote regarding the Necronomicon paperback - back in the mid-nineties, I worked in a bookstore. We filed the Necronomicon in the fiction section, but had to do near daily battle with the freaks who thought it was real and kept taking it upon themselves to move it to the Occult section. For the most part though, I suppose there's not much difference in either set of shelves.

Speaking of biology, the latest post on my Miskatonic Museum (similar philosophy to Monster Talk, using the fun to explore the science and history) blog might be of interest, regarding the transition from sea to land

Speaking of biology, the latest post on my Miskatonic Museum (similar philosophy to Monster Talk, using the fun to explore the science and history) blog might be of interest, regarding the transition from sea to land

Near the end of the interview, you talk about movies that you liked based upon H.P. Lovecraft and mentioned several.

However, my wife and I both immediately said "Cast a Deadly Spell". While not quite Lovecraftian, I think that it is a good homage. The main character is named Phil Lovecraft, there's a bar named "The Dunwich Room" and there's even an appearance by Yog-Sothoth near the end.

If you ever see it in the bargain bin at your local video store, I'd suggest picking it up.

Yep, that's the one. It was made for HBO, but I was able to pick up a VHS copy of it for $1 when the local video store went out of business a couple of months ago. Yes, I do still have a VHS player...There was a sequel made starring Dennis Hopper that wasn't nearly as much fun.